The Monroe City Council Meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 28, 2013 has been cancelled.

The next council meeting will be on Tuesday, June 4, 2013, 7:00 p.m., in City Hall Council Chambers at 806 W. Main St.

For more information, call (360) 794-7400.

The post Monroe City Council 5/28 meeting cancelled appeared first on Monroe Monitor.

A group called Friends of North Kelsey had opposed the building, saying it wasn’t consistent with the design guidelines for the area, and asking the court to enforce a more strict adherence to those guidelines.

“The Washington Court of Appeals overwhelmingly upheld the city council’s approval of the Walmart development agreement, soundly rejecting the numerous arguments that had been raised by the appellant group Friends of North Kelsey,” said Mayor Robert Zimmerman. “While two very minor issues related to the project – lighting and bench seating for certain public areas – will be remanded for additional City Council findings in the near future, all of the large, substantive elements of this development proposal were affirmed by the court.”

That means the way is clear for Walmart to commence with the purchase of the land at North Kelsey and to start the construction process.

“The Court of Appeals’ opinion paves the way for this important project to proceed, and brings the significant economic benefits that will result from this effort one step closer to reality,” said Zimmerman. “The city looks forward to completing its real estate transaction with North Kelsey, LLC, and welcoming Walmart to the Monroe community.”

The post Monroe wins again on Walmart appeared first on Monroe Monitor.

Monroe Mayor Robert Zimmerman announced Friday that he will not seek reelection to the office he has held since 2009.

By Polly Keary, Editor

Monroe Mayor Robert Zimmerman won’t seek another term, and only one of three Monroe school board members will run again.

Those are some of the outcomes of Friday’s deadline for filing for candidacy for public office.

Snohomish County Council Position 5

At the county level, two-term incumbent Dave Somers, (D-Monroe) who represents the Sky Valley area on the Snohomish County Council will face a challenger from Lake Stevens.

Chris Vallo, who identifies as Republican, has not held public office before, but has served as a precinct committee officer in the 44th District. He ran for the Snohomish County Assessor’s seat in 2011, but lost to Cindy Portmann. He has been on the executive board of the Boy Scouts of America’s Mount Baker Council, and was on the football board of the Lake Stevens Junior Athletic Association. He has a background in telecommunications, including working as an operations manager at Frontier Communications.

Dave Somers is the only person in District 5 history to have been elected three times, and the only one to have been reelected while an incumbent. He served from 2006-2010, then 2010-2014. He also served from 1998-2002 before being unseated by Jeff Sax. Somers reclaimed the seat from Sax in 2006.

Somers has taken on some powerful opponents in his time in office; in 2008 a developer named Dave Barnett vowed to spend $2 million or more to unseat him after Somers opposed him on the creation of a fully-contained community at Lake Roesiger. More recently, just days before the November election of 2011, Somers brought forward evidence to suggest that incumbent candidate County Executive Aaron Reardon had misused public funds while conducting an extramarital affair.

Monroe Mayor

Robert Zimmerman, who was elected in 2009 and took office in 2010, withheld news of his decision not to seek reelection until Friday.

In a letter explaining his decision, which he sent to supporters and press, he said that four years ago, Monroe faced big challenges including “deficits in leadership, financial burdens, hostile relationships, rising taxes, failed land purchases, cumbersome regulations, excessive ‘red tape,’ suffering from analysis paralysis and lacking a forward thinking vision for our city’s future.”

The city improved on his watch, he said.

“Once a sleepy town where people drove through on their way to someplace else, Monroe has become one of Snohomish County’s most vigorous places to live, work and play.

“Once a city that was bogged down in bureaucracy, taking years for projects and tasks to be completed, Monroe has proven that it can operate at the pace of the free market, implementing strategies quickly, efficiently and productively leading to many value-added results.

“Once, headed for a fiscal cliff, Monroe is stronger today through disciplined spending, while keeping taxes at bay. The City finished 2012 in the black and with all reserves fully funded and 2013 is looking to be as well off. Monroe’s median household income is greater than Snohomish County and Washington State. Monroe now hosts more jobs with more businesses preparing to arrive…

“Once a developer’s nightmare, Monroe is becoming one of the more sought after locations to build. In 2013, the City will see applications for nearly 300 new homes and several new commercial buildings. Changes in administrative process, fewer regulations and a customer solutions culture has resulted in more and improved development.

“Rather than being the gateway to anywhere, Monroe has become the ‘Gateway to Adventure and the Adventure starts Here.’ Each year, for the last three years, the city has welcomed several thousand visitors as host to local, regional and national events within its park system. Through valued partnerships with the Evergreen Speedway, the Fairgrounds and the soon-to-arrive Monroe Wake Park at Lake Tye, we have and will continue to generate much welcomed tourism dollars into our economy,” he wrote, thanking the city staff for their efforts, as well.

But, he said, he has done enough in the role of mayor.

“While some see politics as a means for control, I see it as a way to serve and I have been blessed to do so on behalf of the citizens of Monroe,” he wrote. “I have accomplished most all that I set out to do. I shall leave office on December 31, 2013 satisfied, without regret and confident in our city’s future.”

Two candidates, both experienced council members, hope to replace him.

Geoffrey Thomas served on the city council from 2004-2008, before deciding not to run again. Currently he is a senior legislative analyst at the Snohomish County Council Office. He has a background in development, working as a project manager for a land developer and as an environmental planner. He was also a planning commissioner for the city of Olympia from 1997 to 1999.

He holds a bachelor of science, environmental policy, analysis and planning.

Ed Davis is currently on the city council. He was elected in a very close race versus Todd Fredrickson in 2011 to a four-year position, which expires at the end of 2015. If he wins the mayor’s seat, the city council will have to appoint a replacement for him on the council. If he does not win, he will keep his council seat.

Davis ran on a platform of supporting business in order to increase job opportunities in town, and was not in favor of traffic enforcement cameras. He has lived in the era for more than 20 years, and in Monroe for about 10 years. His resume includes serving as an inspector for the Transportation Security Administration.

Monroe City Council

Kevin Hanford, who two years ago ran for and won the two-year seat on the council, has decided to abandon that seat and run instead for an open four-year seat.

He will face Brad Waddell, 53, a shift sergeant at the Monroe Correctional Complex who is active in Teamsters Local 117.

Kurt Goering didn’t qualify to run for another four-year position, because that would put him over the city’s eight-year term limit. He held the two-year position before winning his current four-year position, so instead he has filed to take the two year position being abandoned by Kevin Hanford.

Also running for that seat is Daniel Williams, a Monroe resident who works in aerospace and who has not sought public office before.

Tom Williams, who was undecided as recently as two weeks ago, did not file for reelection. There are two contenders for the seat; one is former parks board member Jeff Rasmussen.

The other is Mike Stanger.

Patsy Cudaback is running again, and is unopposed.

Monroe School Board

Of three long-time incumbents, only Jim Scott is seeking reelection to the Monroe School District Board of Directors. He is running unopposed for District 4.

Running unopposed for District 1, which covers much of the north side of the school district, is Jason Hutchinson, who is a technical sales manager at chemical products company Chemetall. The seat is currently held by Tom McIntyre, who has held it since 1996.

There are two contenders for Position 3 on the school board, which covers much of the school district south of town including the Tualco Valley west to Echo Lake. Darcy Cheesman is an office manager and a former coordinator for the Snohomish County Republican Party’s get-out-the-vote campaign. Jennifer Reiner, of Reiner Farms in Monroe, is also running. The seat is currently held by Greg Accetturo, who has held it since 2005.

Fire District 3

Two people are running for the two seats open this year on the Board of Commissioners for Fire District 3. Both are running unopposed. They are Leslie Jo Wells and Marc A. Inman.

Hospital District 1

Running unopposed for the only open seat on the three-person Board of Commissioners of Valley General Hospital is Tony Balk, who served for many years on the Monroe City Council. He will take the place of Neil Watkins, director of the Sky Valley Food Bank and former director of the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. Watkins is not seeking reelection.

East County Parks and Recreation

Joel Selling, a former candidate for state representative, the head of the successful campaign to pass the April Valley General Hospital levy and a trustee with Sno-Isle Libraries, is running unopposed for an open seat on the East County Parks and Recreation Board of Commissioners.

The post Zimmerman won’t run again; three city council members seeking reelection appeared first on Monroe Monitor.

Paul Crosby-Mapes, left, brother-in-law of murdered corrections officer Jayme Biendl, and her father Jim Hamm, center, discuss the outcome of the penalty phase of the trial of her killer with prosecuting attorney Paul Stern, following a jury’s sentence of death last Monday for Byron Scherf, the inmate who attacked and killed her.
Photo by Chris Hendrickson

By Chris Hendrickson, Monitor

It’s been a long two years for the family of Monroe Correctional Officer Jayme Biendl since the night she was killed by an inmate while on duty.

Members of her family have been present in court every day throughout the intensely painful trial, sometimes waiting in the hall during particularly disturbing and vivid testimony. On Wed. May 15, a jury sentenced her killer, 54-year-old Byron Eugene Scherf, to the death penalty. To Biendl’s family, it was a bittersweet victory.

“I was on pins and needles,” said Jim Hamm, Biendl’s father, immediately after the verdict was read.

Scherf, standing in between his attorneys, did not react to the verdict.

Scherf was convicted of aggravated first-degree murder on Thurs. May 9 after the state was able to prove premeditation beyond a reasonable doubt. Jurors deliberated for less than an hour.

A two-time rapist, Scherf was already serving life in prison when he attacked and killed 34-year-old Biendl inside the prison’s chapel on Jan. 29, 2011. Proving premeditation was critical to the state’s case, and they were able to prove to the jury that Scherf had contemplated the killing for more than a moment in time. The defense had argued that Scherf killed Biendl during a momentary fit of rage.

Monday, May 13, the jury was given opening statements as the trial moved into the penalty phase.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Ed Stemler presented Scherf’s previous criminal history as evidence that the circumstances of his crime did not warrant leniency.

Scherf’s first conviction was in 1978, which resulted in him serving about two years for second-degree assault. He was next convicted in May of 1981 for rape in the first degree, while still on parole from his 1978 charge. Scherf served over 10 years for that crime, and was convicted again shortly after his parole. He was sentenced in May of 1997 to life in prison for first-degree rape, kidnapping and possession of a weapon.

In her opening arguments, defense attorney Karen Halverson informed the jury that she would show that there were mitigating circumstances that warranted leniency. She explained that since he was 19, Scherf had been out of prison for only 26 months, and while he seems unable to function well in society, he actually functions well in prison.

“It is obvious that Byron is a broken and damaged man, but he is not evil,” said Halverson.

The state then called just one witness, Biendl’s father, Jim Hamm. Holding a picture of his daughter, Hamm gave emotional testimony on how the loss of his firstborn child affected the close-knit family.

The jury was given the brief opportunity to know more about Biendl, what she was like as a person, and what she meant to her family.

Named after her father, Biendl was described by her father as honest, kind, compassionate and caring. She would be the first to give everything and expect nothing in return, said Hamm. She wanted to have children, she wanted to teach her nephews to ride horses, she loved the outdoors and she loved to cook. Biendl often cared for her mother, who suffered health issues.

“She was the cornerstone of our family, and now she’s gone,” said Hamm.

The defense called Ellen C. Winter, the records management supervisor at Monroe Correctional Complex. Halverson asked Winter to confirm many certificates all documenting Scherf’s attempts at self-improvement while incarcerated.

Scherf’s transcripts from Walla Walla Community College were presented, along with certificates for an anger management course, a substance abuse program, a course entitled, “How to be Your Own Best Friend,” and most recently, Moral Recognition Therapy which he completed in 2010.

Created by two psychologists, Moral Recognition Therapy is a 16-step behavioral approach to treatment which was designed to help offenders develop to higher stages of moral reasoning.

During his cross examination, Stern was quick to point out that yes, Scherf indeed completed Moral Recognition Therapy, however, it was less than six months later that he attacked and killed Biendl. He also pointed out that Scherf’s anger management course was completed in 1989, prior to his third violent conviction.

The defense next called Eric Mogensen, who was Scherf’s immediate supervisor at the Monroe prison.  Mogensen testified that a few days prior to the killing, Scherf had sighed and told him, “I’m tired of doing time.”

Tuesday’s proceedings included closing arguments from the state and the defense.

The state addressed what the defense referred to as mitigating circumstances that should warrant leniency, including Scherf’s attempts at bettering himself while in prison.

Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Paul Stern talked about Scherf’s attempts at improving himself. After all that studying, and after all that learning about the Bible, Stern paused and showed a picture of Biendl taken after her death, asking the jury, “Is this the best he can do?”

Halverson again cited Scherf’s attempts at changing and improving himself as mitigating circumstances that warrant leniency. She also explained that it was the Department of Corrections that was responsible for protecting Biendl, stating that “this could have been prevented.”

Halverson stated that Scherf’s excellent record while in prison, with only two infractions, was also a mitigating factor.

Halverson also described what Scherf’s life would be like from then on if he was sentenced to life in prison. She described the Intensive Management Unit, where he would be locked up 23 hours per day. The good life is over for Byron, said Halverson.

“He will never have contact with another human being unless he’s in restraints,” said Halverson.

The jury began their deliberations just before 11:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 14.  At approximately 3 p.m. they asked the presiding judge, George Appel, if they could be excused and have the evening to contemplate their verdict. Appel asked the jurors to stay until 4:30 p.m., at which point they were excused.

In the morning, the jurors met briefly in the jury room and announced that they had a verdict shortly after 9 a.m. The verdict was read just after 9:30 a.m. Scherf was sentenced to death.

Biendl’s family met with the media outside the courtroom to talk about the jury’s decision.

“It’s over with and I’m glad,” said Biendl’s father, Jim Hamm. He explained that while he’s happy with the verdict, it’s been an excruciating process.

“I feel like justice has been served,” said Hamm.

Biendl’s sister, Lisa Hamm, has been counting the days since Jayme’s death and will continue to count them until Scherf is dead, either by the state or by natural causes, she said.

“I’m looking forward to the day that he’s not sitting there, eating dinner at night, while Jayme’s not here,” said Lisa Hamm.

Referring back to defense attorney Halverson’s remark, Biendl’s family was asked, “Is Byron Scherf evil?”

The word “yes” was chorused by Biendl’s mother and sister, while Biendl’s father elaborated.

“Worse than that, he’s a monster,” said Jim Hamm.

“He’s evil alright. Anyone who’d do what he did… It’s indescribable,” he continued.

Both Lisa Hamm and her father Jim Hamm expressed their appreciation for the prosecuting attorneys, law enforcement and the jury. They acknowledged the jury’s difficult decision, and the fact that it was surely hard on them.

“We’re thankful to the jury,” said Lisa Hamm.

Scherf was transported to Walla Walla State Penitentiary on Thursday, where he will be housed on death row in the prison’s Intensive Management Unit. He is expected to appeal.

The family was asked if this outcome gives them some closure.

“I don’t know if we’ll ever have closure,” said Lisa Hamm.

The post “A Bittersweet Victory”: Jayme Biendl’s family relieved by death sentence for her killer appeared first on Monroe Monitor.

In 2011, Mike Buse beat his own world record for a limousine jump, one of two world records he holds. Buse and his team of stunt performers will be featured on a History Channel show called American Daredevils, airing this fall.

By Polly Keary, Editor

Mike Buse was always better at wrecking than racing.

When he raced cars at the Evergreen Speedway as a young man, especially when on the figure eight track, he had a tendency to crash, he said.

So 10 years ago, he decided to make a career of crashing vehicles.

It turned out to be a good choice. In just a decade, Buse, 44, known in the entertainment world as Mr. Dizzy, has risen to the top of the daredevil world, setting two world records and making racetrack crowds roar when he spirals school buses in the air and sets off massive explosions with himself in the center.

His derring-do has made him famous in the world of stunt performers, but soon his fame will spread to American households. This fall, he will be one of three stunt artists featured on “American Daredevils,” a new reality series on the History Channel.

Becoming Mr. Dizzy

When Mike Buse saw a driver jump a car at the Evergreen Speedway 10 years ago, he saw something new he wanted to do behind the wheel. The Monroe native had been racing for nearly 20 years, but he’d never done stunts before.

He told a friend he wanted to give it a try, and his friend challenged him to do it.

“He said I should jump a motorcycle over a bus,” said Buse. “But a motorcycle doesn’t have a roll cage. So I said, ‘How about if I jump the bus over three motorcycles?’”

The stunt was a success, and the crowd at the track that night loved it.

So did Buse.

“It was awesome,” he said. “I really thought I might die.”

He planned to do a repeat performance in a year, and spent the entire year worrying about it.

“I took care of all my affairs before I did it,” he said.

That stunt, too, was a success, and Mr. Dizzy’s career was born.

He started out doing stunts regularly at the Evergreen Speedway, then branched out to racetracks around the western United States, increasing his skills and the size of his crew.

In 2008, he made his first indelible mark on the stunt world, setting a world record for a limousine jump, soaring 107.6 feet in a 32-foot limo. The stunt was featured on a Discovery Channel show called Wreckreation Nation with Dave Mordal.

That jump brought him to the attention of other filmmakers eager to produce the next big thing in the lucrative and popular reality show market.

A film company called Widespread Creative contacted Buse, and for the next four years, followed Buse and his crew as they traveled and did stunts, even tagging along on a trip to Costa Rica for the American Motor Legends Tour. The company also followed the exploits of two of the other top daredevils in the nation; Spanky Spangler, a legendary stunt man from Arizona, and Dr. Danger, a daredevil from Texas.

Widespread Creative sold the rights to another company which in turn sold them to the History Channel, and a new show was born.

“American Daredevils”

For the last year, the History Channel has continued to capture new footage, even though they already had four terabytes of footage in the can. That is partly because they wanted fresh footage, and partly because Buse lost 90 pounds in the last year and didn’t look much like his former self.

They are editing the footage into a show called “American Daredevils,” and the channel has invested a lot.

“My producer did The Deadliest Catch,” said Buse. “He said he’s never seen a network put the kind of money into a show they are putting into this one. It’s their next Deadliest Catch, they are talking.”

The show revolves around the lives and personalities of the three stuntmen, each very different.

Spanky Spangler is the most established of the three; at 67 he claims 23 world records.

“Spanky is retiring and his son is trying to step in,” said Buse. “And Dr. Danger is the gypsy. He never has money. He makes just enough money for the gas to go to the next stunt. I’ve seen him sleep on the floor of a bar before, to save money on a hotel. And I’m the guy with a legit company, a general manager and an office. I’m the professional.”

The goal of the producers is to make the audience care about the three stuntmen, which increases the tension when they perform life-threatening stunts.

“They worry about what happens to us and get the same exhilaration we do when it’s all okay at the end,” said Buse.

Also important to the narrative are the members of Buse’s crew, including Buse’s son Dizzy Jr., crewmember Corey Howell, also known as “The Headache,” and Buse’s right-hand man Josh Beckel, known as “The Crusher.”

The channel bought 16 episodes in advance and is soon to shoot the first commercial for the autumn release of the show.

Major promotion is slated to begin about six to eight weeks ahead of this show’s airing.

It will feature some of Buse’s most spectacular work. He did 31 stunts last year alone, including sitting in a car encased with explosives and pushing a button to detonate them, then emerging unscathed from the resulting fireball.

“I learned how to set the charges so they don’t blow out the windows of the car,” said Buse. “It looks so cool when you’re in there and you look out and there’s all that fire.”

Filming will continue through this summer, including when Buse and his crew put on Mr. Dizzy’s Crash Factory Live! at the Evergreen Speedway June 22. The Crash Factory shows are Buse’s creation, drawing daredevils from around the nation who do motorcycle stunts, world record attempts, spectacular jumps often involving explosions and more.

Future bright for Mr. Dizzy

The events of the last year sometimes still overwhelm him at times, Buse said.

“I went from being a guy who jumped a bus in Monroe to being one of the top three stunt guys in the world,” he said.

The show is likely to change Buse’s life, at least for a while, said Evergreen Speedway operator Doug Hobbs.

“I worked with Russ, the producer, years ago on the The Deadliest Catch,” he said. “They make cult heroes out of people. That’s what you want with a reality show.”

Even the locations at which reality shows are shot can become famous; 1,500 people per day visit the pawn shop that is the set of Pawn Stars.

And that could improve the fortunes of the whole town, Hobbs said.

“It brings more interest to the city, the county, the racetrack, and as we continue to revitalize the speedway, it brings attention even more,” said Hobbs.

The first season will pay Buse handsomely, but if there is a second season, Buse will become a well-to-do stuntman, indeed.

He hopes to use much of the proceeds to fund a children’s charity called Mr. Dizzy Kids that will, among other things, promote helmet safety for children, and may also fund other small but worthy charities that support children.

And eventually, perhaps even in the next couple of years, he will hang up his helmet and move into management of his company.

“The Crusher will take on my stunts,” he said. “He’s a fearless kid; he’s got a good head on his shoulders and he’s nipping at my heels.”

For now, he’s just looking forward to the airing of the show.

“Our future looks bright,” he said.

The post American Daredevil: Local stuntman Mr. Dizzy among three to be featured in new History Channel reality show appeared first on Monroe Monitor.

At 3 p.m. Friday afternoon, firefighters responded to a 911 call reporting a house fire in the 100 block of Kelsey Street and arrived to find smoke and flames coming from the two-story structure.

Firefighters from Duvall, Snohomish, Sultan, Gold Bar and Clearview also responded, and the fire was extinguished in about 30 minutes.

The resident of the home was not there when the fire broke out. The Red Cross provided assistance to the displaced resident.

Investigators called the fire suspicious. The house was badly damaged.

Photo by Dan Armstrong

The post Fire on Kelsey Street deemed suspicious appeared first on Monroe Monitor.

A map out the area southwest of Monroe shows a proposed expansion of the Urban Growth Area (UGA), land the city intends to annex, in yellow. Land already in the RUTA, (Rural Urban Transition Area; land designated for possible expansion of the UGA) is outlined in green. The current boundaries of the UGA are outlined in blue, and the city limits are shown in red.

By Chris Hendrickson, Monitor

A group of residents afraid of being hit with huge costs for utility improvements in their neighborhood were relieved Tuesday night when the Monroe City Council voted unanimously to stop the formation of a Local Improvement District (LID) which would have moved 14 homes on 157th Place S.E. from septic to sewer.

Local improvement districts are formed as a way to finance capital improvements that are constructed by the city, and provide a specific benefit to the properties within the LID area. The costs are shared by the owners of the properties and the city. The assessment costs associated with the improvement become liens on the individual properties.

LIDs can be formed by either council resolution or by petition. In the case of 157th Place, the city received a petition signed by 11 of 14 homeowners affirming that they would like an LID formed to take the neighborhood from septic to sewer.

The procedure was clarified by city Financial Director Dianne Nelson who explained that, at the time of the petition, the cost of the project is unknown, which is how the petition process works.

“Once we get it, we do an engineer’s estimate,” said Nelson.

The cost of converting the 14 homes in the 157th Place area to sewer was being estimated at $34,000 per property, which only would bring a sewer main down the street. It did not include the capitol connection fee, estimated at an additional $6,777 per residence.

There are many restrictions and regulations that govern the formation of LIDs, including the rule that the actual final assessment cannot exceed the true and fair value of the improvement. In the case that the cost of the assessment does exceed the value of the improvement, and the residents object, the difference in cost must be absorbed by the city.

Ten 157th Place residents attended the meeting to speak out against the formation of the LID.

Velma Smith, a senior citizen, was first to speak out against the added expense.

“I retired in 1995, and there is no way I can afford that amount of money to put a sewer on my property,” said Smith.

Smith then deferred the balance of her five-minute time to her son, Snohomish resident Alan Smith, who spoke on her behalf in protest of the LID formation.

Smith stated that the petition seemed rather unusual in that it was signed by 11 of 14 homeowners, yet the majority seems to be against it.

“How could the petition have so many signatures with such little real support?” he asked.

Smith said he thought it was possible that some people signed the petition without really knowing what they were signing; not realizing that an assessment was something that they’d have to pay. Some of people who signed the petition now wish that they hadn’t, said Smith.

“My mother was not one of them; she’s too sharp,” said Alan Smith.

Some residents said they felt mislead when they were asked to sign, while others felt pressured and coerced. At least three residents who signed the petition asked to have their names removed.

City council heard 30 minutes of public testimony after which they unanimously made the decision to not move forward with the formation of the 157th Place Local Improvement District.

SIGN CODE

City council held the second and final reading of the amended sign code resolution, which passed unanimously. Last week Patsy Cudaback voted against the resolution because she felt the code did not include specific enough restrictions in regards to the directional placement of 45-foot high signage in the service commercial district.

“I was concerned that it didn’t have the right language,” said Cudaback.

Economic Development Manager Jeff Sax met with Cudaback last week to add in the appropriate clause which stipulates that the 45-foot signage near the intersection of Main Street and U.S. 522 be fronted to the highway, adjacent and perpendicular to the road.

UGA EXPANSION PLANNED

Local developer Dave Remlinger addressed the council in hopes that his property, located in the southwest region of Monroe, could eventually be annexed into the city.

Remlinger stated that, in addition to building a community and events center there, he would like to potentially develop a retirement community on the property, as well as a residential development. He would also like to explore different recreational uses for the land.

Remlinger said he feels that what he is intending to do fits in with Monroe’s “The Adventure Starts Here” theme, and would be a benefit to the city.

“It’s a really unique piece of property in the sense that it’s so close to the city, but yet so isolated in a lot of ways,” said Remlinger.

There are significant challenges to achieving his goal, however.

The property, located south of Monroe High School, includes 85-acres which is currently zoned R5, a residential zone that commands a five-acre lot size.

That property will have to be moved into Monroe’s Urban Growth Area, or UGA, land that the city intends to eventually annex.  Currently, some of the land that is included in the proposed new UGA is not yet included in the Rural Urban Transition Area (RUTA), which is land that the city has designated as possible future areas of expansion.

Getting county land transferred into the RUTA or out of the RUTA and into the UGA requires approval of the Snohomish County Council.

One of the steps involved in getting the land into the UGA is to include plans to do so in the 2015 update of the city’s comprehensive plan.

Economic Development Manager Jeff Sax explained to the council what Monroe’s next steps would be in the process.

On May 29, the Snohomish County Council will establish the 2015 comprehensive plan docket. Sax predicts that expanding the Urban Growth Area may be an uphill battle, with more than one obstacle to overcome.

The county planners are forecasting that no urban growth area expansions will be considered during the 2015 comprehensive plan update. The county feels that any population growth in the county between 2015 and 2035 can be completely absorbed within the existing urban growth areas, explained Sax.

Per a memo from Snohomish County Planning & Development services to County Council dated Dec. 13, 2012, specific details in regards to rural-urban transition areas are outlined:

“The intent of the RUTA, under the remand, was to ‘assure that flexibility will be retained to permit the potential future expansion of the UGA.’ Policy direction on UGA expansion has shifted over time. When the RUTA was first applied in 1996, there was a greater degree of support for and expectations of future UGA expansion. Now, under Vision 2040 and the Regional Growth Strategy, UGA expansions are discouraged.”

But the city staff feels that the expansion of the current Rural Urban Transition Area is essential to the growth of Monroe, said Sax.

Sax discussed the benefits of including Remlinger’s land, once the private ranch of Nordstrom heiress Loyal Nordstrom, into the city’s urban growth area.

“It would add a tremendous amount of property value to our city,” said Sax.

The city’s current plan is to draft a resolution to the county describing the intent of including Remlinger’s property into the Urban Growth Area outlined in the 2015 comprehensive plan.

Even if the county council votes it down at the public hearing on May 29, the city can still proceed independently with the applicable environmental impact studies that are required as a part of the annexation process.

Sax recommended that, if the city does intend to acquire the environmental impact study independently of the county, it is critical to make sure that it is a strong statement, possibly utilizing the same consultant as the county uses to avoid any complications later.

The city would then reflect the modification of the Urban Growth Area in the update of the comp plan, which the county council would address in 2015 during the comprehensive plan update process. After determining that Monroe’s plan is inconsistent with their plan, they could either reject it, or agree to modify their comprehensive plan to bring it into consistency with the city.

“In the end, it’s the county council’s decision,” said Sax.

It’s a worthwhile gamble, said Councilmember Kevin Hanford.

“Judging by the location of the property and the value of the property, I can’t see why we wouldn’t risk putting some city time and effort in working towards this, to try and get it into the limits,” said Hanford.

Council moved to direct staff to include the Proposed Urban Growth area expansion on the city’s 2013 docket. Costs of the necessary land use studies will be shared and negotiated with the landowners.

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Alan Dickson (center, back) is surrounded by his family, including his wife and children.

The 2001 Lady Bearcat team huddles during the State Championship game in 2001. It was one of seven championships the Lady Bearcats played in the 13 years Alan Dickson was coach.
Photos courtesy of Kaylee Hansen

By Polly Keary, Editor

Alan Dickson touched a lot of lives in his 13 seasons as head coach of the Monroe girls’ basketball program.

Now cancer has touched his life and the lives of his family, and those former team members are rallying once again to play for their coach, this time to raise money to help his family with medical expenses.

“What is happening is, he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and he’s not been given much time,” said former Bearcat Kaylee Hansen, who played on the team for four years between 1998 and 2002.

The former team members put their heads together and decided to give something back to the coach who gave them so many memories.

Dickson’s medical expenses have been high, as one of the drugs he has been taking isn’t cover by his insurance.

“We decided to put together an event to help him raise money for his bills,” said Hansen. “The alumni are coming back to play.”

It will be a gathering of some of Monroe’s best former high school athletes.

Under Alan Dickson, who coached the team for 13 seasons, the Bearcats went to State seven times, four times winning the championship.

Dickson was among Monroe High School’s most winning coaches, but his most dramatic victories took place off the court.

Since he was a young man, Dickson battled significant health crises, overcoming considerable odds to pursue his own athletic career.

At 16, he was diagnosed with acute ulcerative colitis, which caused internal bleeding. Doctors advised him to give up sports.

He decided to stick with athletics anyway, and went on to win a scholarship to Butler University, playing basketball and football.

Thirteen years after his first serious diagnosis, Dickson had a second.

At 29, he overcame sarcoidosis, a rare respiratory disease that took the life of NFL football player Reggie White.

In 2004, he had a massive heart attack during a game. Six weeks later he was back on the sidelines.

One year after that, he learned that he had prostate cancer.

For a time, Dickson appeared to be winning his battle with that illness, too.

The community rallied around him, inundating him with get-well cards, and even a blanket featuring the faces of his 2004-2005 team.

Dickson stepped away from the court for a while and focused on good nutrition and exercise. Although, when he learned he had cancer, he was already at stage 4 and the cancer had spread to his skull, he beat his oncologist’s prognosis that gave him 2-5 years to live.

After taking time off to battle his illness, Dickson returned to coaching in 2007 at age 64, his doctor upping his prognosis to 20 years.

He went on to coach the Bear Creek Grizzlies in Redmond and Cedar Park Christian.

But the cancer returned, and this time it was much more serious.

“They thought they had a hold on it, but it spread,” said Hansen.

Now his former team members are working to preserve his legacy.

“We are trying to get him into the Monroe High School Hall of Fame,” she said.

And they are gathering for one more game.

June 9 at 2 p.m., former Lady ‘Cats will hit the court at Monroe High School for an alumni match to support their coach.

The game is as much about honoring Dickson as it is raising funds.

And an induction into the hall of fame would be another excellent way to honor him, too, said Hansen.

“It would honestly mean so much to him and to the hundreds of girl basketball players that have been touched by his loving guidance and support,” she said.

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E.L. Hancock, President of the Monroe Lions Club, presents to Wally Armstrong the Lions Club award for Volunteer of the Year at this year’s Monroe Chamber of Commerce Community Awards at Monroe High School May 9.
Photo by Dan Armstrong

Some of Monroe’s most civic-minded citizens were honored by the Monroe Chamber of Commerce at the annual Community Awards on Thursday, May 9, at Monroe High School.

Awards were given to:

Community Improvement Award

Given to a person, business or organization that makes a significant improvement to the community overall.

The City of Monroe

Ed Utterback Revitalization Award

Given to a person, business or organization that contributes to a significant positive economic impact on the community.

Sam’s Cats and Dogs, Naturally

Community Caring Award

Given to a person, business or organization demonstrating a commitment to public service.

Sultan-Monroe Masonic Lodge #160

Outstanding Customer Service Award

Given to a person, organization or business that demonstrates a high level of commitment to customer care and service.

Clearview Spirits and Wines

Business Excellence Awards

Given to a person, business or organization that demonstrates ethics and commitment to employees, as well as community service through volunteerism and support of local organizations.

Monroe Public Schools

Entrepreneurial Spirit Award

Given to a person, business or organization that demonstrates commitment to Monroe by opening or operating a business in Monroe.

Twin Rivers Brewery and Tasting Room

Volunteer of the Year

Given to persons who demonstrate exceptional commitment to the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.

David Munson-David Munson and Associates, LLC

Ken Perrine-Kool Change Printing

Chamber Member of the Year

Mark Wright-Comcast Business Class

Jo Ann Carbonetti-Park Place Middle School

President’s Award

The highest award given by the Chamber of Commerce, it is given to a person, business or organization that makes a significant contribution to the community and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce. The recipient serves as Grand Marshall of the Monroe Fair Days Parade.

Doug and Traci Hobbs-High Road Promotions

The Monroe Public Schools Foundation, the Monroe Women’s Gospel Mission, the Monroe Lions Club, the Sultan-Monroe Masonic Lodge #160 and Valley General Hospital also gave awards to people who had done exception work in the community.

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Monroe Mayor Robert Zimmerman will shave his head at the Relay for Life event June 1 if the Sky Valley chapter can raise at least $200,000. So far the chapter is reporting $65,000 in pledges with two weeks to go.

By Polly Keary, Editor

Monroe Mayor Robert Zimmerman has vowed to shave his head publicly at the Relay of Life of Sky Valley at Monroe High School if the fundraiser collects at least $200,000 in donations.

“I pledged that, if the Sky Valley Chapter of Relay for Life raised $200,000, I would shave off my hair the day of Relay for Life,” said Zimmerman.

His hairdresser may hold out hope for his locks; with just two weeks to go, the Relay of Life of Sky Valley is reporting only $64,981 in pledges.

Relay for Life will take place Saturday, June 1 at Monroe High School this year. So far 70 teams and 594 participants have signed up.

The annual worldwide event is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. For one 24-hour period, members of teams maintain a relay, keeping at least one team member walking around a track at all times, to reflect the reality that cancer never sleeps.

Teams pitch tents in the field at the center of the track, and cancer survivors kick off the event by completing a lap around the track.

Participants also light candles in memory of people who have died of cancer.

To participate or pledge, visit http://relay.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=50691&pg=entry.

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